IDEAL CITY in 2030

By: Ar. Anasela Zarisa Gaviola

1.0. VITALITY

The degree to which Baguio City form the settlement that supports the vital functions, the biological
requirements and capabilities of human being, how it protects the survival of the species. At present, Baguio
City’s vitality towards its users is very evident. However, there’s an on-going scarcity of land since most of
the lands are already developed, some are protected, and others are strictly development prohibited there
is a freeze for new developments in the city.

1.1. SUSTENENCE. Availability of all the elements to sustain life of the inhabitants. There is an
adequate supply of food, water, and air at the same time availability of proper disposal of
wastes, i.e., the “throughput”. Currently, Baguio City have no agricultural land utilized for
crops. It depends on the neighboring towns of Benguet namely Tuba, Sablan, Itogon, and La
Trinidad. Since Baguio City became the “bagsakan” of Benguet province, the availability of
food at present is very high. The availability of water somehow is difficult due to the terrain.
Most households depend on water deliveries. Oxygen is absolutely present and air pollution
is minimal due to the city’s location and landscape. However, based on recent studies toxic
air remains above the atmosphere of the city. The ideal sustenance of Baguio City for 2030 is
shown in the table 1.1. below.
 Table 1.1. Sustenance of Baguio City

AT PRESENT IDEAL CITY FOR 2030

Depends on neighboring towns for Each household have a vertical or
food supply especially crops. roof top garden for essential
FOOD
crops such as tomatoes, onions,
garlics, etc.
Depends on commercial water Each establishment have rain
WATER
deliveries. water collection system
AIR Available but relatively polluted. Fresh and clean.

The ideal sustenance for Baguio City shows that for food, each household has a roof top
garden or vertical garden for those who doesn’t have roof top. For water supply each building
or establishment have a rain water collection system for water supply. And more pine trees
and local trees for fresher and cleaner air.

1.2. SAFETY. Ideal city considers psychological safety, social safety and physical safety. There is
safety from physical elements like hazards, poisons, and diseases, also social and
psychological safety like defense against violation attacks, the prevention of food and fire, the
resistance to earthquake. The ideal safety of Baguio City for 2030 is shown in the table 1.2.
below.
Table 1.2. Safety of Baguio City
AT PRESENT IDEAL CITY FOR 2030
Few streets are dim lighted and Narrow streets are lighted
narrow for fire trucks in case of fire. properly, hydrants for
PSYCHOLOGICAL
inaccessible alleys, and 24-hr
CCTV in all streets around the city.
Crime rate is high compared from Minimal or reasonable crime rate.
SOCIAL
five years ago.
Visible barriers for areas that are Fenced off hazardous, unsafe,
PHYSICAL deemed hazard and unsafe. and areas exposed to infectious
diseases.

1.3. CONSONANCE. The environment harmonized with the basic biological structure of human
being. It supports natural rhythms, and provides optimum sensory input.
 Fig. 1.0. Vitality

2.0. SENSE

The joint between the form of environment and the human process of perception and cognition. It
depends on the form of the space, quality and human activity.

2.1. IDENTITY. The extent to which person can recognize or recall place as being distinct from
other places, having unique character of its own. Almost all of Manila's prewar and Spanish colonial architecture
were destroyed during its battle for liberation by the intensive bombardment of the United States Air Force
during World War II. Baguio's contemporary architecture is largely of American build, owing to the fact that Americans
were the ones to establish a station here. A few examples include those built cottages at Teacher's Camp and Camp
John Hay, The Mansion, Diplomat Hotel, White House, and Baguio Inn are previous American installations in the city
as well as the current Baguio City Hall. Some buildings are also influenced by Spanish building concepts, such as Porta
Vaga Mall and La Azotea along Session Road. One of the more modern buildings in the city is SM City Baguio,
established back in 2003. Moves by various groups with the goal to preserve these buildings have been made. Baguio
City Hall, being a historic building, has faced opposition for renovation of its grounds and may be against laws on
national cultural heritage sites. The renovations however continued as there have been no documentation that
supports Baguio City Hall as a national heritage site. The construction of the park was finished in May 2019 as was said
to define the city's new moniker as a creative center for crafts and folk arts. Therefore, Baguio City’s identity which is
its architecture, based on a lot of studies has been classified as American Colonialization Architecture. Also, a city being
dubbed as one of the few remaining American influenced cities in the country.

The ideal city for 2030 of Baguio City has a stricter implementation of the ordinance that states to use
American Colonialization Architecture as character of improving current buildings. Furthermore, it applies the
principles of sustainable architecture to make the city greener and cleaner.
2.2. STRUCTURE. The sense of how its parts fit together in a large settlement with a sense of
orientation. Baguio’s city design demonstrates the bold imposition of Western aesthetics on a local
indigenous landscape. Burnham’s fantasy of building a place like no other city in the world took form in the
few days he spent in Baguio. Absorbed by the principles of the City Beautiful Movement which he launched,
he sanctioned forms that mimicked American cities. To establish a sense of order, dignity, efficiency, and
progress, Burnham proposed for Baguio a dramatic plan that clearly puts the Municipal City Hall and the
National buildings on eminent spots: a hill and a plateau, respectively. A perfect axis was drawn to connect
the loci for these two distinct government functions. The flat meadow-like land resting between these two
high grounds was designed for an open esplanade with a green cover. The western portion of the Baguio
meadow held the athletics fields and stadium. A distinguishable feature of the City Beautiful movement is
the grid arrangement of streets. Burnham used this form in the best possible way, but the slopes hindered
the broad execution of orderly streets. In the Baguio plan, the grid street pattern was placed on the gentle
slopes leading to the City Hall, as well as a geometric block northeast of the open esplanade. Today, the city’s
land use plan shows that the majority of Baguio City is being utilized as residential areas and next would-be
institutions and commercial area.
 The ideal structure of Baguio City still retains Daniel Burnham’s axis plan and further develops it to
adapt the settlers needs.
2.3. CONGRUENCE. The recognition of place by form of city or building. Being the Summer Capital
of the Philippines and Pine City makes Baguio known all over the Philippines.

2.4. TRANSPARENCY. Perceive the operations of the various technical functions, activities, and
social and natural processes that are occurring within the settlement. Due to being a melting pot city, Baguio
held a lot of culture related activities. One of its major activities is the “Panagbenga Festival” pronounced as
“panag-banga”, which means Flower Festival that is held annually. Another festival is the “Ibagiw Festival”,
which celebrates the indigenous people’s arts and culture. There is also the Filipino-Japanese-Chinese-
Korean Friendship Festival, which celebrates the relations of Southeast-Asian people and Filipinos mainly
locals of Baguio City. Recently, they added a major activity in the city which is the “Lantern Festival” together
with the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, held on the first Friday of the month of December to welcome the
Christmas Season in the city.

2.5. LEGIBILITY. Inhabitants of settlement are able to communicate accurately to each other via
its symbolic physical feature.
 Fig. 2.0 Sense

3.0. FIT
The match between place and whole patterns of behavior. It is linked to characteristics of the human
body and of physical system in general. Adaptability, manipulability, and reversibility excess capacity,
improving accessibility, separation of parts, modular and standardization, reduction of recycling cost are
characteristics of fit.
4.0. ACCESS
The ideal city’s extent to which goods services, place and information are accessible with minimum
time and efforts. It is classified as access to other people, access to human activities, access to services,
access to material resources, access to natural environment, access to information.
5.0. CONTROL
It refers to the pervasive phenomena of territorial occupation of space and time for discharging day
to day activities.
6.0. EFFICIENCY AND JUSTICE
Efficiency is the balancing criteria; it relates the level of achievement in some performance. Baguio
City probably has the most visitor attractions clustered in a relatively small area compared to other tourist
destinations in the Philippines. The most popular tourist attractions are located near each other, on the
East and South sides, although there are a few near the residential areas. Just 8.2 km from east to west and
7.2 km from north to south and with inexpensive public transportation available, the City of Pines is one of
the easiest places to explore. Most of its notable spots and landmarks have historical and social meaning.
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